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Comgan, uncle of Fillan

Other names

Congan (Brev. Ab)

Introduction

The St Comgan of the Aberdeen Breviary is said to be the brother of St Kentigerna and uncle of St Faelán. His profile is quite different from the Comgans of early Irish sources but his date of Oct 13 is the same as Comgan of Cluain Connaidh. It is not possible to say if the saint commemorated in Scotland is the Irish saint of Oct 13 who has attracted a new profile or if there was a distinct Comgan in Scotland whose date has been chosen in the late Medieval period to conform with the Irish calendar.
Comgan is first linked with the saints Kentingerna and Faelán in the Aberdeen Breviary, a link which ‘may be geographical rather than historical, having its origin around the shores of the three splendid interconnected sea lochs in Wester Ross, Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long’ where there are dedications to all three saints (Taylor 2001a p 182). Otherwise the distribution of dedications to the three do not significantly overlap.
The dedications to a saint or saints called Comgan are predominantly in the west (Skye, Ardnamurchan, Knoydart, N. Uist, Lochalsh, Ayrshire etc) with important outliers in Easter Ross and Turriff, Aberdeenshire (Forbes 1872 p 310-11 and Watson 1926 p 281). There was a fair at Turriff on Oct 13 (Paul 1918 p 166), apparently recorded in 1512. Cowan's fair is also mentioned in the New Statistical Account for that parish, but the celebration date is not given (NSA xii p 988; also OSA xxvii p 398). A dedication of a hospital in Turriff to Sancto Congano is made in 1272 (OSA xxvii p 398). The personal name Macilchomhghain < Mac Gille Chomhghain is held by an 11th century mormaer of Moray (1032 AU), and is found near Dingwall and in Argyll, in particular in Inveraray (Watson 1926 p 281; Black 1946 p 510).
Veneration of St Comgan seems to have been persistent around Lochalsh. Some time after the Reformation a John MacKenzie brought evidence against a member of the Glengarry family: ‘he proved him to be a worshipper of St Coan, qlk image was aft. ward brought to Edn and burnt at ye Cross’ (Highland Papers vol. ii p 40).